Cable connector and electrical box assembly

ABSTRACT

A cable connector is provided for coupling to and mounted within the internal cavity of an electrical box for securing an electrical cable passing through an opening in the electrical box. The cable connector includes a body having a first end positioned next to or adjacent the cable opening in the electrical box and a second end spaced from the first end and the cable opening. At least one and typically two retaining members are spring biased from the first end of the body and extend into a cable passage of the body toward the second end. A front wall is provided at the second end of the body with an opening for receiving the wires and forming a stop member to prevent the armor sheathing from passing through the front wall.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.Nos. 61/787,962 filed Mar. 15, 2013 and 61/909,727 filed Nov. 27, 2013,which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a cable connector and to anelectrical box assembly having a cable connector for securing a cable tothe box. The invention is particularly directed to an electrical boxhaving a cable connector where the connector provides a sliding andsnap-in connection for the electrical cable and particularly for metalclad and armor cables.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electrical cables are commonly supplied to an electrical junction boxfor connecting the cable to electrical fixtures or other electricalcables. The cables generally pass through an opening in the wall of theelectrical box and are secured in place by a suitable claim.Conventional cable clamps generally clamp the cable between the clampingplate and a side wall or bottom wall of the electrical box. This type ofclamping arrangement generally relies on the smooth surface of the wallof the electrical box that does not adequately grip the cable.

Cable clamps are produced which are able to accommodate metal armorcable and plastic sheath cables. These devices include a stop member forthe metal sheath to prevent the metal sheath from extending into theelectrical box. Various clamping devices are known for clamping theelectrical cable. Many of these cable clamps are mounted to the cableand then inserted into the opening in the electrical box so that atleast a portion of the clamp projects outwardly from the outer surfaceof the electrical box.

One example of an electrical cable clamp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,316,999 to Nattel which discloses an electrical wiring box and cableclamp where the cable clamp is attached to the wall of the electricalbox. The cable clamp is a flexible member that overlies the opening inthe electrical box bottom edge of the leg portions including upwardlyturned flanges. The bottom wall of the electrical box includes ridges orscore lines for engaging the nonmetallic cable.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,057 to Ross discloses an electrical box having aflexible flat retaining member attached to the inner face of the sidewall of the electrical box. As shown in FIG. 2, the flat retainingmember flexes to grip the surface of the cable passing through theopening in the electrical box.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,282 to Troder discloses a nonmetallic electrical boxhaving a flexible metal cable retaining member attached to the innerface of the electrical box. The retaining member flexes when the cableis passed through the opening to grip the cable.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,641 to Bauer et al. discloses a nonmetallicelectrical box having a cable clamp member that is inserted into thecavity of the electrical box. The cable clamp member includes an outerframe and a flexible flap. The flexible flaps bend upon insertion of theelectrical cable through the opening in the frame to grip the cable.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0024596 to DiLillo et al. discloses aplastic cable clamp adapted for mounting in one of the openings in theelectrical box. The cable clamp includes one or more flexible memberscapable of clamping the nonmetallic cable. In one embodiment, the cableclamp includes flexible legs that can bend inwardly upon insertion ofthe cable to grip the outer surface of the cable.

While the prior cable clamps and connectors are generally suitable forthe intended use, there is a continuing need in the industry forimproved cable clamps and connectors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The electrical box assembly of the invention is a one piece constructionhaving a cable connector permanently attached to the electrical box forgripping the outer surface of non-metallic sheathed cables, metal cladcables, and armor cables. The cable connector is coupled to a rear wallor side wall of the electrical box without extending through the cableopening in the electrical box.

The invention is particularly directed to a cable connector fixed to anelectrical box to form an electrical box assembly. The cable connectoris positioned entirely within the walls of the electrical box. The cableconnector is aligned with the cable opening in the electrical box toreceive the electrical cable. The cable connector has a front wall withan opening for the cable and a cable retainer that is spring biasedinwardly toward the cable passage to engage the cable.

The features of the invention are provided by a cable retainer coupledto a side wall of the electrical box and a front wall coupled to therear wall of the electrical box and spaced from the cable retainer. Thefront wall includes apertures for receiving the electrical wires from atleast one cable passing through a cable opening in the sidewall. Thecable retainer is positioned to cover at least a portion of the cableopening in the side wall of the electrical box so that the cableretainer flexes inwardly when the cable is passed through the cableopening. The cable retainer has at least one flexible leg having a topedge fixed to the sidewall of the electrical box and a bottom edgealigned with the cable opening of the electrical box. The flexible legbends away from the side wall of the electrical box when the cable isinserted into the cable connector. In one embodiment, the cable retainerincludes two superimposed legs having different lengths with a bottomedge of the legs are positioned in the cable opening. The differentlengths of the legs enable the cable retainer to grip two different sizecables.

The present invention is directed to a cable connector and to anelectrical box assembly having a cable connector for connecting andgripping a cable passing through an opening in an electrical box. Thecable connector in the various embodiments of the invention have a bodywith a first end positioned next to the opening in the electrical boxand a second end opposite the first end and spaced from the opening inthe electrical box. The body has a cable passage extending between thefirst end and the second end for receiving the electrical cable. A frontwall is provided at the second end and has an opening for receiving theelectrical wires from the cable. At least one and preferably at leasttwo cable retainers extend from the first end of the body into the cablepassage and toward the second end of the body for gripping the cable.

The various features of the invention are provided by an electrical boxassembly comprising an electrical box having a rear wall and a side wallwith an opening having a dimension for receiving an electrical cable.The cable connector is coupled to the electrical box and is aligned withthe opening in the side wall of the electrical box to define a cablepassage. In one embodiment the cable connector has a first cableretainer extending away from the side wall of the electrical box intothe cable passage and a second cable retainer extending away from theside wall of the electrical box into the cable passage. The firstretainer and the second retainer converge toward the axial center of thecable passage and are spaced apart a distance to grip the outer surfaceof the electrical cable between the ends of the cable retainer.

In one embodiment, the cable connector includes has opposite side wallswhere each sidewall has a cable retainer integrally formed therewith.The cable retainers are coupled to a first end of the respective sidewall by a U-shaped portion so that a free end of each cable retainerextends toward the front wall and the retainers converge toward eachother to grip opposite sides of the cable.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a cable connector havingtwo cable retainers to grip opposite sides of the cable and a legpositioned between the cable retainers to engage a top surface of thecable. The leg can be coupled to a rear wall of the cable connector orto a top wall of the cable connector.

The features of the invention are further attained by providing anelectrical box assembly comprising an electrical box having a rear walland a side wall with a cable opening having a dimension for receiving anelectrical cable. A cable connector having a cable passage is fixed tothe electrical box and is aligned with the opening in the side wall. Thecable connector has a body with a first end for positioning adjacent tothe opening in the electrical box and a second end opposite the firstend. A front wall at the second end of the body has an opening forreceiving the electrical cable. The opening has a dimension to receive astandard nonmetallic sheathed cable with a plurality of conductors andhas a dimension so that the front wall abuts the metal sheath of astandard metal sheath cable with a plurality of conductors to allow theconductors of the cable to pass through the opening and prevent themetal sheath from passing through the opening. A first cable retainerhas a first end at the first end of the body and a second free endextending toward the front wall. The free end of the first cableretainer extends toward the front wall and towards an axis of the cablepassage for gripping a cable and capturing the cable between the secondfree end and the rear wall of the electrical box. A first leg extendsaway from the side wall into the cable passage, and a second leg extendsaway from the side wall into the cable passage and converges with thefirst leg to grip an outer surface of the cable.

The features of the invention are also attained by providing anelectrical cable clamp comprising a body having a first side wall with afirst end and a first leg extending inwardly with respect to an innercable passage. A second side wall is spaced from the first side wall toform the inner cable passage between the side walls. The second sidewall has a first end with a second leg extending inwardly with respectto the inner cable passage. A front wall extends between the first sidewall and second side wall. The front wall has a central opening with adimension for receiving the cable.

The features of the invention are still further attained by providing anelectrical box assembly comprising an electrical box with an opening forreceiving an electrical cable. A cable connector is fixed to theelectrical box and has an inner passage for receiving the electricalcable. The cable connector includes a first side having a first end nextto the side wall of the electrical box. A first leg extends from thefirst end of the first wall and extends away from the side wall of theelectrical box. A second side wall is spaced from the first side wall todefine the inner cable passage. The second side wall has a first end atthe opening of the electrical box and a second leg extending from thesecond end and spaced from the first leg a distance to grip the outersurface of the electrical cable.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description which, taken inconjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following is a brief description of the drawings in which;

FIG. 1 is top view of the electrical box in one embodiment of theinvention showing the cable connector in cross section;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial top view in cross section of the cableconnector of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is top perspective view of the cable connector before attachingto the electrical box;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective side view of the cable connector takenalong line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the cable connector;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the cable connector;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the cable connector;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the cable connector;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the cable connector;

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the cable connector of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the electrical box;

FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of the front wall;

FIG. 14 is a rear perspective view of the front wall;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the front wall;

FIG. 16 is a front view of the cable retainer;

FIG. 17 is a side view of the cable retainer;

FIG. 18 is a rear view of the cable retainer;

FIG. 19 is a rear perspective view of the cable retainer;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the electrical box assembly in a thirdembodiment;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of the cable retainer of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the electrical box assembly in a fourthembodiment;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the cable connector;

FIG. 24 is a top view of the cable connector of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a bottom view of the cable connector of FIG. 23;

FIG. 26 is a front view of the cable connector of FIG. 23;

FIG. 27 is a side view of the cable connector of FIG. 23;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the electrical box assembly in fifthembodiment;

FIG. 29 is an enlarged perspective view of the cable connector of FIG.28;

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the cable connector of FIG. 28;

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the cable retainer showing the grommetis inserted in the cable connector;

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the electrical box assembly in sixthembodiment;

FIG. 33 is a rear view of the cable connector of FIG. 32;

FIG. 34 is a side view of the cable connector of FIG. 32;

FIG. 35 is a rear view of the cable connector of FIG. 32;

FIG. 36 is a top view of the cable connector of FIG. 32;

FIG. 37 is a bottom view of the cable connector of FIG. 32;

FIG. 38 is a perspective view of the electrical box assembly in aseventh embodiment;

FIG. 39 is a front perspective view of the cable connector of FIG. 38;

FIG. 40 is a perspective view of the cable connector and grommet of FIG.38;

FIG. 41 is a rear perspective view of the cable connector of FIG. 38;

FIG. 42 is a side view of the cable connector of FIG. 38;

FIG. 43 is a front view of the cable connector of FIG. 38;

FIG. 44 is a rear view of the cable connector of FIG. 38;

FIG. 45 is a bottom view of the cable connector of FIG. 38; and

FIG. 46 is a bottom view of the cable connector of FIG. 38.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a cable connector and to an electrical boxassembly that includes an electrical box and a cable connector fornon-metallic sheathed cables, metal clad and armor cables. The cableconnector of the invention avoids the use of separate connectors thatare often required for coupling metal clad, armor and non-metalliccables to an electrical box. Electrical codes require the use of someform of connector for securing the cables to the electrical box.

The invention in one embodiment is directed to a pre-assembledelectrical box assembly that has a cable connector as a fixed part onthe electrical box to avoid the need for separate connectors or handlingof separate connectors. The cable connector of the invention is attachedto the electrical box in a pre-assembled form for use by an electricianwithout the need to install the cable connectors on the job site. In oneembodiment, the cable connector is fixed to the electrical box bywelding, screws, coupling tabs, or other means for attaching the cableconnector to the box during the manufacture of the electrical box. Inone embodiment, the cable connector is permanently fixed to theelectrical box at the time of manufacture.

In one embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-9, the electricalbox 10 includes a cable connector 12 that is secured to a surface of theelectrical box 10 to form the electrical box assembly. The electricalbox 10 is typically made from steel by deep drawing, by cutting andbending from a blank or by joining cut pieces together to form theelectrical box into the finished shape as known in the art. The cableconnector 12 is sufficiently resilient to allow the cable to passthrough the cable passage and grip the outer surface of the cable.

The electrical box 10 is constructed in a manner similar to aconventional electrical box by having an open front 14, a rear wall 16,and one or more side walls extending from the rear wall 16 to define theopen front 14. In the embodiment shown, the electrical box 10 has afirst side wall 18, and a second side wall 20 opposite the first sidewall 18 and connecting walls 22 extending between the first side wall 18and the second side wall 20. In the embodiment shown, the electrical box12 has a substantially square shape although the electrical box can haveany suitable dimension and shape. In other embodiments, the electricalbox can be rectangular, hexagonal, round or other suitable shape.

In the embodiment shown, the first side wall 18 includes at least oneand preferably two cable openings 24 extending through the wall forfeeding the cable 26 to the interior cavity 28 of the box 10. In theembodiment shown, the two cable openings 24 are positioned next to oradjacent one side of the box. The second side wall 20 is also shownhaving two cable openings 30 positioned on an opposite side of the boxso that the cable openings and the respective cables are staggered withrespect to each other so as not to interfere with each other when fedinto the electrical box. The electrical box can have any number of cableopenings as known in the art.

The electrical box 10 and cable connector 12 are preferablypre-assembled as a single, one-piece, integral unit or assembly forinstallation by the electrician without the need for attaching separateconnectors to the cable and/or the electrical box during installation.The invention is particularly suitable for use with non-metallicsheathed cables, metal clad cables, or armor cables 26 having internalelectrically conducting wires 32. The metal clad cables as shown have aspiral wound corrugated metal sheathing 33 as known in the art.

The cable connector 12 can be attached permanently to the electrical box10 at the time of manufacture in manner to prevent separation of thecable connector 12 from the box 10 during normal use. In the embodimentsshown in the drawings, the cable connector 12 is attached by welding,riveting or other fastening means to the rear wall 16 of the electricalbox 10 to align the cable connector 12 with the respective cableopenings 24 and 30. In other embodiments, the cable connector 12 can beattached to one or more of the side walls so that the cable connectorsare aligned with the cable opening 30 in the electrical box 10. Althoughthe cable connector 12 is preferably fixed to the electrical box, thecable connector can be attached to the electrical box by a snapconnection such as by a prong that snaps into an aperture in a wall ofthe electrical box.

The cable openings 24 are generally provided in the side walls althoughcable openings can also or alternatively be provided in the rear wall.In one embodiment of the invention, the cable connector 12 is attachedto a suitable surface that is substantially perpendicular to the wall orsurface with the cable opening.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cable connector 12 is attached to therear wall of the electrical box by welding. In further embodiments, thecable connector can be attached to the side wall or other surface sothat the cable connector is permanently fixed to the electrical box in aposition to be aligned with the cable access opening 30. Preferably thecable connector 12 is mounted entirely within the electrical box so thatno portion of the connector extends through the cable openings.

Referring to FIGS. 2-9 the cable connector 12 is preferably formed as aone piece, integral member formed of steel or other metal. The cableconnector 12 is preferably formed from a blank metal sheet that is cutand folded into the final shape as shown. The cable connector 12 isformed by a body 34 having a cable passage 36 with a first end 38 and anopposite second end 40. A front wall 42 is provided at the second end 40of the body. The first end 38 of the body 34 is positioned at the sidewall of the electrical box and aligned with the cable opening 24. Thesecond end 40 of the body is spaced from the first end 38 and the sidewall 18 of the electrical box 10.

The body 34 of the cable connector 12 in the embodiment shown in FIGS.1-9 has a first side wall 44 and an opposite second side wall 46. Thefirst side wall 44 and the second side wall 46 are connected together bya top wall 48 extending between the side walls. In the embodiment shown,the front wall 42 is integrally formed with the top wall 48 and extendsdownwardly substantially perpendicular to the top wall 48. The frontwall 42 has an opening 50 for receiving the electrical wires 32 andfeeding the wires to the internal cavity of the electrical box 10. Theopening 50 is formed with a rounded edge 52 to form a smooth collar toprevent damaging the wires passing through the opening 50.

In the embodiment shown, the opening 50 forms apertures that can have acircular shape or an oval shape that are dimensioned to accommodateelectrical cables. The openings 50 have a dimension to allow theelectrical wires to pass through the opening and a dimension to preventstandard metal armor cable from passing through. In this manner, thefront wall 42 functions as a stop for the armor sheath as shown in FIGS.1 and 2.

In the embodiment shown, the side walls 44 and 46 are inclined withrespect to each other and slightly converge toward the front wall 42. Inother embodiments, the side walls 44 and 46 can be substantiallyparallel to each other. The side walls 44 and 46, the top wall 48 andthe front wall 42 define the longitudinal cable passage 36 that extendsthrough the cable connector 12. The front wall 42 and the opening 50define the second end 40 and outlet end of the cable connector 12. Theopposite end defines the first end 38 of the body and an open inlet endfor the cable 36 passing through the opening in the electrical box.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-9, the cable connector 12 has an openbottom 54. The cable connector 12 is attached to the wall of theelectrical box to enclose the cable passage 36 by the side walls 44 and46 and the top wall 48 of the cable connector 12 and the correspondingwall of the electrical box 12. In the embodiment shown, the rear wall 16of the electrical box mates with the open bottom 54 of the cableconnector 12. The bottom edge of the first side wall 44 includes amounting flange 56 extending substantially perpendicular to therespective side wall portion. The bottom edge of the second side wall 46includes a mounting flange 58 extending substantially perpendicular tothe respective side wall portion. The mounting flanges 56 and 58 areattached to the rear wall 16 of the electrical box to permanently fixthe cable connector 12 to the electrical box. In the embodiment shown,the mounting flanges 56 and 58 have detents 56 for use in welding themounting flanges to the rear wall 16. In other embodiments, the mountingflanges can be fixed to the rear wall 16 by rivets or other fasteners.In a further embodiment, the mounting flanges can be formedsubstantially parallel to the plane of the respective side wall andinserted through slots formed in the rear wall. The mounting flanges canthen be bent and optionally welded to retain the tabs within the slots.

The open first end 38 of the body 34 of the electrical connector 12 hasa dimension to receive the cable 26. As shown in FIG. 2, the first sidewall 44 has a first edge 60 at the first end 38 with a cable retainer62. A first end 64 of the cable retainer 62 coupled to the edge 60 ofthe side wall 44 and a second free end 66. The cable retainer 62 in theembodiment shown is in the form of a leg with the first end 64integrally formed with the first side wall 44 forming a U-shapedconnecting portion 68. The U-shaped connecting portion 68 forms a springmember to spring bias the retainer 62 toward the cable passage and toallow the retainer to bend and flex by insertion of the cable and toprovide sufficient spring biasing force to grip the cable. The retainer62 is bent inwardly toward the cable passage 36 and has a first legsection 70 extending toward the front wall 42 and a second leg section72 bent inwardly towards the cable passage 36. The second leg section 72has a terminal end forming the second free end 66 of the retainer 62 andis formed at an inclined angle with respect to the longitudinaldimension of the cable passage 36 and the plane of the first leg section70. In the embodiment shown, the second free end 66 has a substantiallystraight edge that is angled with respect to the front wall 42.Alternatively, the free end 66 can have a concave shape corresponding tothe shape of the outer surface and dimension of the cable 26. The freeend 66 is formed at an angle corresponding substantially to the angle ofthe corrugations of the armor clad cable so that the terminal end isable to grip the recess between the corrugations as shown in FIG. 2.

The second side wall 46 also has a first edge with a cable retainer 74integrally formed with the side wall. The cable retainer 74 has a firstend 76 coupled to the first edge of the side wall 46 and a second freeend 78. The retainer 74 also has a first leg section 80 coupled to theside wall 46 by a U-shaped connecting portion 82 and extends toward thefront wall 42 at an inclined angle. The U-shaped connecting portion 82define a spring member to spring bias the first leg section 80 towardthe center of the connector and toward the first cable retainer 62 andenable the legs to bend and flex with respect to the side wall. A secondleg section 84 extends inwardly from the first leg section 80 at aninclined angle with respect to the first leg section 80 towards thecable passage 36. The free end 78 of the retainer 74 is formed at aninclined angle opposite the inclined angle of the first leg section ofthe first retainer 62 to grip an opposite side of the armor cladding ofthe cable as shown in FIG. 2. The cable retainers 62 and 74 are orientedso that the free ends converge toward the axis of the cable passage togrip opposite sides of the cable.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, the first retainer 62 has a longitudinallength slightly longer than the length of the second retainer 74 toeffectively grip the spiraling corrugations of the electrical cable asshown in FIG. 2. As shown, the retainers 62 and 74 extend away from thecable opening in the electrical box into the cable passage 36 of thebody 34 and are angled to allow the cable to be inserted through theopening in the electrical box and resist removal of the cable from theelectrical box. The free ends 66 and 78 are angled with respect to theaxis of the cable passage 36 so that the top corners 86 of the free endsproject toward the front wall 42 as shown in FIG. 8 and converge towardeach other relative to the bottom corner 88 as shown in FIG. 6. Theangled free ends of the cable retainers form a V-shaped recess to engagean upper side surface of the armor cable so that the cable is capturedbetween the rear wall 16 of the electrical box 10 and the edges definingthe free ends of the cable retainers.

The cable connector 12 is preferably formed from steel or other metalhaving sufficient strength to effectively grip the cable while allowingthe retainers sufficient resilience to allow the cables to be insertedand removed as necessary. The cable retainers 62 and 74 are formed fromresilient spring steel and have sufficient resilience to deflectoutwardly towards the respective side wall portion by insertion of theelectrical cable while being spring biased toward each other foreffectively gripping the outer surface of the cable.

In use, the cable connector 12 is attached to the electrical box asshown in FIG. 1. The cable connector 12 is aligned with the opening inthe wall of the electrical box so that the cable 26 can be insertedthrough the opening in the electrical box and passed through the cablepassage 36 of the cable connector 12 to the position shown in FIG. 1 andFIG. 2. The opening in the front wall 42 has a dimension to allow thewires 32 to pass through and prevent the armor cladding of the cablefrom passing through the opening. The armor cladding of the cable asshown in FIG. 2 abuts the inner surface of the front wall 42. To removethe cable from the cable connector, a tool can be inserted into thecable connector 12 to pry the retainers 62 and 74 outwardly to releasethe tension on the armor cladding and enable the cable to be pulled fromthe connector.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 10-19. In thisembodiment, the electrical box assembly 90 includes the electrical box10 and a cable connector 92. The electrical box is substantially thesame as in the previous embodiment so that similar components areidentified by the same reference number. The cable connector 92 has abody formed by the cable retainer 94 at a first end and a front wall 96at a second end spaced from the first end. In the embodiment shown, twocable retainers 94 are joined together as a single unit to grip twoseparate cables passing through adjacent cable openings in theelectrical box. In one embodiment, the cable retainers 94 arepermanently fixed to the side wall.

The cable retainer 94 in the embodiment shown is a flat metalspring-like member that is attached to the side wall 18 of theelectrical box by rivets 98 or other fasteners passing through apertures97 to overlie at least a portion of the cable opening 24. The cableretainer is sufficiently flexible to flex so that the bottom edge bendsaway from the side wall and upward from the rear wall of the electricalbox when the cable is passed through the cable opening 24 so that thecable retainers able to grip the outer surface of the electrical cable.

The cable retainer 94 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16-19 is formedfrom a flat sheet of metal that is folded over to form two substantiallyflexible flat legs 100 and 102 for each cable retainer. The legs 100 and102 are substantially flat, planar members and form a flap-like memberoverlying the cable openings. In the embodiment shown, two legs 100 andtwo legs 102 are joined along the top edge and separated by a gap orslot 127 so that each of the legs 100 and each of the legs 102 can bendindependently of each other for gripping separate cables passing throughthe two adjacent cable openings in the electrical box as shown. The legs100 and 102 can have a generally square or rectangular shape andpreferably have width greater than a width of the respective cableopening to extend across the width of the cable openings as shown.

The first leg 100 has a bottom edge 104 with a profiled or scallopedshape for gripping the outer surface of the electrical cable. The bottomedge 104 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16-19 has a recess 106 form bytwo converging edges 108 that converge to a slot 110. The convergingedges 108 form the recess 106 with a substantially V-shape complementingthe outer dimension of the electrical cable. The slot 110 divides thefirst leg to form a first tab 112 and a second tab 114 on opposite sidesof the slot 110. Each of the tabs 112 and 114 is able to flexindependently to grip the outer surface of the spiral corrugatedelectrical cable 26 as shown in FIG. 11. The bottom edge 104 is spacedfrom the rear wall of the electrical box a distance less than thediameter of the cable 26 as shown in FIG. 11 so that the cable isgripped with sufficient force to retain the cable in the electrical box.

The second leg 102 has a substantially similar shape to the first leg100 with a length less than the length of the first leg as shown inFIGS. 18 and 19 to extend into the cable openings so that the ends ofthe legs 100 and 102 are spaced apart from each other. The differentlengths of the legs enable the retainer to grip different size cables.The first leg 100 has a length so that the bottom edge 104 is able togrip a smaller cable such as for example a 0.37-0.5 inch diameter cable.The second leg 102 to has a length so the bottom edge 116 is able togrip a larger cable, such as a 0.6-0.6 inch diameter cable. The bottomedges of the legs are spaced from the rear wall a distance less than thediameter of the cable being gripped to provide sufficient force tospring bias the legs against the outer surface of the cables.

The second leg 102 has a bottom edge 116 with a recess 118 formed byinclined edges 119 that converge to form the substantially V-shapedrecess. A slot 120 extends between the inclined edges 108 to define afirst tab 122 and a second tab 124. As shown in FIG. 17, the first leg100 and the second leg 102 are joined together at a top edge 126. In onepreferred embodiment, the first leg and a second leg are integrallyformed together as shown in FIG. 17 by a fold line defined by the topedge 126. Alternatively, the legs 100 and 102 can be formed separatelyand joined together be a suitable fastener or by welding. In theembodiment shown, two cable retainers are integrally formed together asa unit and joined together along the top edge 126 by a connectingportion 125 and separated by a slot 127 so that the retainers can flexand bend independently of each other. In preferred embodiments, thecable retainer is coupled to the inner face of the side wall of theelectrical box along the top edge 126 or top end of the legs 100 and 102and extends toward the rear wall to cover at least part of the cableopenings. Coupling the retainer along the top end as shown allows thelegs 100 and 102 to bend along a plane substantially parallel to the topedge and parallel to the rear wall.

In one embodiment, the bottom edges of the legs 100 and 102 arepositioned over the cable openings with the bottom edges spaced from therear wall a distance to grip the selected cable. Preferably each of thelegs 100 and 102 is parallel to the plane of the side wall and has awidth greater than a width of the cable openings. The front wall 96 ofthe cable connector 92 in the embodiment shown is attached to the rearwall 16 of the electrical box 10 to form a stop member for the armorcladding of the electrical cable 26 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. In thisembodiment, the front wall is a stop member that is a separate componentfrom the cable retainer. In other embodiments of the cable retainer andthe front wall can be directly coupled together. The front wall 96includes a base 128 having a screw hole 130 for receiving a screw 132 toattach the front wall to the electrical box. A detent 134 extends fromthe bottom surface of the base 128 and is received in a correspondingaperture 136 formed in the bottom wall of the electrical box. Theaperture 136 is oriented with respect to the cable openings 24 in theside wall 18 of the electrical box to position and align the front wallwith the cable openings and prevent pivoting of the front wall aroundthe axis of the screw 132.

The front wall 96 includes at least one and typically two apertures 138for receiving the electrical wires 32 of the cable 26 as shown in FIG.10 and complementing the cable retainers 94. The apertures 138 have adimension to allow the electrical wires 32 to pass through and adimension to prevent the armor cable from passing through. The apertures138 are preferably punched to form an inwardly extending collar 140. Asshown, the front wall 96 defines the second end of the cable retainer94. A side wall 142 extends from the front wall 96 to surround the armorcable sheath.

The cable retainer is attached to the sidewall of the electrical box sothat the bottom edges of the legs 100 and 102 overlie at least a portionof the cable openings in the electrical box. As shown in the drawings, ametal clad cable is inserted through the cable opening in the electricalbox to deflect and bend the legs 100 and 102 of the cable retainers 94inwardly with respect to the electrical box. The inclined bottom edgesof the legs grip the cable between the inclined edges and the rear wallof the electrical box and prevent removal of the cable from theelectrical box. The end of the armor sheath abuts the front wall 96while allowing the wires to pass through.

In another embodiment shown in FIGS. 20-21, a cable connector 144 isattached to the side wall of the electrical box by fasteners in a mannersimilar to the previous embodiment. In this embodiment of the invention,the cable connector 144 has two adjacent cable retainers 146 joinedtogether by a top end 148 which is fastened to the side wall of theelectrical box. Each retainer 146 forms a flexible or bendable leg witha bottom end 150 that overlies at least a portion of a respective cableopening in the side wall of the electrical box. The bottom end 150 ofeach cable retainer 146 has a rolled edge 152 which is able to grip theouter surface of a nonmetallic sheathed electrical cable as shown inFIGS. 20-21. In the embodiment shown, the cable retainers 146 areseparated by a slot 154 so that each cable retainer 146 can flex andbend independently of the other. A detent 156 is formed in the rear wallof the electrical box adjacent the cable openings and extends into thecavity of the electrical box a distance to engage and support theelectrical cable. The cable connector 144 is attached to the side wallof the electrical box so that each of the cable retainers 146 overliestwo adjacent cable openings in the electrical box. The cable 26 isinserted through the cable opening in the electrical box to deflect thecable retainer 146 away from the side wall. The cable retainers arebiased downwardly onto the cable to capture the cable between the bottomedge 150 and a detent 156.

FIGS. 22-27 show another embodiment of the invention. In thisembodiment, the cable connector 160 is attached to the bottom wall 16and side wall 18 of the electrical box 10 for connecting the electricalcable to the electrical box. In the embodiment shown, the cableconnector 160 has a body 162 with a first end 164 and a second end 166.The body 162 is formed by opposite side walls 168 and a top wall 170extending between the first end 164 and the second end 166. A front wall172 is provided at the second end 166. In the embodiment shown, thefront wall 172 is integrally formed with the top wall 170. The frontwall 172 has an aperture 174 with a collar 176 for receiving theelectrical wires. In the embodiment shown, the front wall 172 has aflange 178 formed along a bottom edge and extending substantiallyperpendicular to the plane of the front wall 172 for coupling the cableconnector 160 to the bottom wall of the electrical box by welding,rivets or other fastening means.

A rear wall 180 is provided at the first end 164. The rear wall 180 inthe embodiment shown is coupled to the first end of the top wall 170 andextends upwardly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the planeof the top wall for attaching to a side wall of the electrical box asshown in FIG. 22. The rear wall 180 also can be attached to the sidewall of the electrical box by welding or other fastening means.

Each side wall 168 has a cable retainer 182 that extends into the cablepassage 184 for gripping the outer surface of the electrical cable in amanner similar to the previous embodiments. In the embodiment shown, thecable retainer 182 is cut and punched from the respective side wall toform an opening 186 so that the cable retainer 182 is integrally formedwith the respective side wall at the first end 164 by a fold line 188 asshown in FIG. 23 and FIG. 27. The cable retainers 182 extend inwardlytowards the cable passage 184 in a direction toward the front wall 172.Retainers 182 on the opposite side walls converge toward the axis of thecable passage 186 to grip opposite sides of the electrical cable.

As shown in FIG. 25, the cable retainer 182 has a first leg 190extending inwardly from the side wall and a second leg 192 extendingfrom the first leg 190. The cable retainer 182 is coupled to the sidewall at a first end 194 and has a second free end 196. The free ends 196have an angled edge 198 that are inclined at an angle corresponding tothe corrugations of the armor cable. As shown, the angled edge of thefree ends 196 are angled so that the top corners converge toward the topwall 170 and the front wall 172 to grip the cable between the free ends196 and the rear wall 16 of the electrical box 10.

The rear wall 180 includes a leg 200 forming part of the cable retainer182 for gripping a top surface of the electrical cable. The leg 200 inthe embodiment shown is integrally formed with the rear wall 180 andextends in a generally downward direction from the top wall 170 towardthe cable passage 184. The leg 200 and the cable retainers aresufficiently flexible to deflect outwardly when a cable is insertedthrough the cable opening in the electrical box and to grip the outersurface of the cable.

The leg 200 as shown in FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 includes a bottom edge witha slot 202 forming a first coupling tab 204 and a second coupling tab206. As shown, the coupling tabs 204 and 206 are coupled to the leg 200by an inclined fold line 208 and 210, respectively, so that the couplingtabs extend at an incline angle with respect to the plane of the leg 200and have different lengths to enable gripping of the spiral corrugatedarmor cable. The coupling tabs 204 and 206 are generally angled in adownward direction towards the cable passage to grip the top edge of thecable and capture the cable between the coupling tabs and bottom wall ofthe electrical box. As shown in FIG. 26, the bottom edges of thecoupling tabs 204 and 206 have converging edges 212 and 214,respectively, to conform to the outer surface of the cable. As shown inFIG. 23, the leg 200 can be cut from the top wall 170 and bend into thecable passage.

FIGS. 28-31 illustrate another embodiment of the cable connector coupledto the electrical box. In this embodiment, the cable connector 220 isformed by a body 222 having a first end 224 and an opposite second end226 spaced from the first end 224 for receiving two spaced apartelectrical cables in two separate cable passages. The body 222 isdefined by a bottom wall 228 extending between the first and second end,a front wall 230 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 228substantially perpendicular to the plane of the bottom wall at thesecond end 226, and a rear wall 232 extending upwardly from the bottomwall 228 at the first end 224. The front wall 230 has two openings 234for receiving the electrical cable 26. In the embodiment shown, agrommet 236 is inserted in the openings in the front wall to define thetwo cable passages 238 through the cable connector 220. The grommet 236has an aperture 240 to receive the electrical wires 32. Coupling tabs242 extend outwardly from the sides of the grommet 236 for coupling thegrommet 236 to the front wall 230.

As shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the bottom wall 228 includes flanges 244cut from the bottom wall and bent upwardly at an incline on oppositesides of each of the cable passages 238 for supporting the electricalcable. As shown, the flanges 244 are formed on the opposite sides of thecable passage form a substantially V-shaped cradle for the electricalcable.

The front edge of the bottom wall 228 is formed with coupling tabs 246forming a prong 248 that is inserted into a corresponding opening in therear wall 16 of the electrical box for coupling the cable connector 220to the bottom wall of the electrical box. The rear wall 232 of the cableconnector 220 has a plurality of L-shaped tabs 250 along the top edgefor inserting into corresponding slots or apertures in the side wall forcoupling the cable connector 220 to the electrical box as shown in FIGS.28 and 29.

The first end 224 of the cable connector 220 includes cable retainers252 having a first end 254 coupled to the rear wall 232 and a secondfree end 256. The cable retainers 252 form a leg that extends toward thefront wall 230 and are inclined toward the bottom wall and toward therespective cable passage 238. As shown, the cable retainers 252 arecoupled to the rear wall 232 by inclined fold lines 258 so that thecable connectors are angled toward the respective cable passage 238 togrip opposite sides of the electrical cable. The second end 256 of thecable retainers 220 have an inclined edge 260 that are angled to gripthe corrugated armor cable to effectively grip the cable and hold thecable in place.

A centrally located leg 262 extends from the rear wall 232 between thecable retainers 252. A first end 264 is coupled to the rear wall 232 bya fold line 266 so that the leg 262 extends at an incline with respectto the plane of the rear wall 232 toward the front wall 230 and towardsthe cable passage 238. The leg 262 has a second end 268 with asubstantially V-shaped edge 270 for engaging the top side of the cableand capturing the cable between the leg 262 and the bottom wall 228 ofthe cable connector 220. The leg 262 is formed by a first section 272that extends at an incline with respect to the plane of the rear wall232 and a second section 272 that extends in a generally downwarddirection at an angle with respect to the first section 272 and towardthe cable passage 238.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 32-37. Referringto the drawings, electrical box assembly 280 includes a cable connector282 coupled to the electrical box 10 for receiving two spaced apartcables. The cable connector 280 includes a body 284 having a first end286 and a second end 288 and a front wall 290 at the second end 288.Side walls 292 extend between the first end 286 and the second end 288of the body 284. A top wall 294 extends between the side walls 292 andbetween the first end 286 and the second end 288. The first end 286 isconfigured to be positioned next to the side wall of the electrical boxand the cable opening for receiving the electrical cable as shown inFIG. 32.

The front wall 290 includes two spaced apart apertures 296 aligned withthe respective cable opening in the side wall of the electrical box forreceiving the electrical wires as shown in FIG. 32. A punched collar 298surrounds the apertures 296 to guide the wires through the aperture. Theapertures 296 are aligned with the cable passage 298 for the cableextending between the first end 286 and the second end 288 of the body284.

In the embodiment shown, cable retainers 300 are provided for each cablepassage on the first end 286 and extend toward the front wall 290. Thecable retainers 300 extend at an incline toward the front wall 290 andtoward the axis of each of the cable passages 298. As shown, two cableretainers 300 are provided for each of the cable passages 298 forgripping the outer surface of the armor cable. The cable retainers 300have a first end 302 at the first end 286 of the body and a second end304 extending toward the front wall 290 at the second end 288.

Referring to FIG. 33, the cable retainers 300 are coupled to andintegrally formed with a first end 306 of the top wall 294. Each of thecable retainers are defined by a first leg 308 that extends in adownward direction from the top wall 294 in the direction substantiallyperpendicular to the plane of the top wall at the first end 306 of thetop wall. A second leg 310 extends from the first leg 308 with a distalend defining the second free end 304 of the cable retainer 300. Thesecond leg 310 extends at an inclined angle with respect to the firstleg 308 toward the axis of the cable passage 298. The second free end304 of the cable retainers 300 have an angled edge 312 for gripping thecorrugated metal sheath of the cable as shown in FIG. 32.

As shown in FIG. 33, the cable retainers 300 for each cable passage 298are spaced apart a distance to engage opposite surfaces of theelectrical cable to capture the electrical cable between the end edges312 and the rear wall of the electrical box. The end edges 312 of thecomplementing cable retainers 300 are angled to converge toward the axisof the cable passage 298 and form a substantially V-shaped recessed areabetween adjacent cable retainers for engaging the electrical cable.

The top wall 294, as shown in FIG. 33 and FIG. 34, has a first topportion 314 extending substantially parallel to the plane of the cablepassage 298 and a second top portion 316 extending at an incline betweenthe first top portion 314 and the front wall 290. A screw aperture 318is formed in the first top wall portion 314 for receiving a screw 324coupling the cable retainer 300 to the electrical box as shown in FIG.32.

A leg 322 extends from the first end 286 towards the second end 288 ofthe body 284 and is positioned between the pair of cable retainers 300for each of the cable passages 298. The leg 322 has a first end 324coupled to the first top wall portion 314 at the first end 302 of thetop wall portion and extends toward the axis of the cable passage 298terminating in a second free end 326. In the embodiment shown, the leg322 is integrally formed with the first top wall portion 314 by cuttingand punching the leg 322 from the top wall portion 314 to form anopening 328 so that the leg is coupled to an inner edge 330 of theopening 328. The leg 322 is formed by a first portion 332 extending fromthe first top wall portion 314 and a second leg portion 334 with adistal end defining the second free end 304 of the cable retainer 300.The second leg portion 334 extends at a downward angle with respect tothe first leg portion 332 toward the axis of the cable passage 298. Thesecond leg portion 334 has an outer edge with inclined surfaces 336forming a substantially V-shaped recess 338 to grip the top surface ofthe electrical cable.

The cable connector 282 is attached to the electrical box as shown inFIG. 32 with the first end 286 positioned next to or adjacent the cableopenings in the electrical box. The cable connector 282 is attached tothe electrical box by the mounting screw 320. In the embodiment shown,the cable connector 282 is configured for receiving to electrical cablesand is provided with two parallel cable passages 298 and thecorresponding cable retainers 300 for each of the cable passages 298.The electrical cable is inserted through the cable opening in the wallof the electrical box so that the armor cable slides past the ends ofthe cable retainers 300 and the leg 322 so that the armor cable abutsthe inner surface of the front wall 290. The angled edges of the cableretainers engage opposite sides of the cable while the leg 322 engagesthe top surface of the cable to capture the cable between the rear wallof the electrical box and the cable retainers 300 and leg 322.Preferably, the cable connector 282 is a one piece unitary unit formedfrom a single piece of sheet metal that is cut, stamped and bent to theconfiguration shown in FIGS. 32-37.

A further embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 38-46. In thisembodiment, the electrical box assembly 350 includes a cable connector352 coupled to the rear wall of the electrical box. Typically, the cableconnector 352 is coupled to the electrical box by welding or by amounting screw.

The cable connector 352 includes a body 354 having a first end 356 and asecond end 358, a rear wall 360 at the first end 356 and a front wall362 at the second end 358. The body 354 has a bottom wall 364 extendingbetween the rear wall 360 and the front wall 362. As shown in FIG. 45 ascrew hole 366 is formed in the bottom wall 364 for coupling the cableconnector 352 to the electrical box by a screw 368. In the embodimentshown, the cable connector is configured for receiving two spaced apartelectrical cables and independently retaining each cable.

The front wall 362 extends substantially perpendicular from the bottomwall 364 and is provided with two spaced apart openings 370 forreceiving a plastic grommet 372. The grommet 372 has an opening 374defining the cable passage 376 extending through the cable connector352. The grommet has a collar 378 extending through the opening 370 inthe front wall 362 and includes a tab 380 for coupling the grommet 372to the front wall 362. In the embodiment shown, the grommet 372 ispositioned on the inner face of the front wall 362 so that the collar378 extends through the openings 370 in the front wall 362 as shown inFIG. 39. The grommet 372 has a body 382 with a shape to conform to theinner face of the front wall 362. The rear wall 360 has a substantiallyU-shaped opening 384 for receiving the electrical cable and aligned withthe cable passage 376.

Bottom wall 364 is provided with a pair of cable retainers 386 thatproject into the respective cable passage 376 and toward the front wall362. In the embodiment shown, two cable retainers 386 are angled towardthe front wall 362 and toward the axis of the cable passage 376. Thecable retainers 386 are spaced apart a distance and aligned with theaxis of the cable passage 376 for supporting and engaging the outersurface of the electrical cable.

A top wall 388 in the embodiment shown is integrally formed with thefront wall 362. The top wall 388 forms a spring member and flexes andbends with respect to the front wall and is spring biased in a downwarddirection toward the bottom wall 364. The top wall 388 has a firstsection 390 coupled to the front wall 360 by a U-shaped portion 392. Asecond section 394 is coupled to the end of the first section 390. Inthe embodiment shown, the first section 390 extends in a generallydownward direction toward the bottom wall 364 and a second section 394extends in the generally upward direction away from the bottom wall 364.In the embodiment shown, the top wall is divided by a gap to form twoflexible top portions for gripping two cables.

A leg 396 extends from the first end 356 of the body and each portion ofthe top wall 388 toward the second end 358 in a generally downwarddirection toward the bottom wall 364 and the axis of the respectivecable passageway 376. In the embodiment shown, the leg 396 is cut andpunched from the second section 394 to form the leg with a first end 398and a second free end 400. The second free end 400 has an inclined orangled edge 402 angled to grip the outer surface of the cable as shownin FIG. 44.

The cable connector 352 is mounted in the electrical box as shown inFIG. 38 with the rear wall 360 positioned next to or adjacent the cableopening in the electrical box. The electrical cable is passed throughthe cable opening in the electrical box and fits between the tabs 386 onthe bottom wall 364 and the free end 400 of the cable retainer 396. Thetabs 386 and the free end 400 of the cable retainer are angled towardthe axis of the cable passage and toward the front wall 362 to allow thecable to be inserted through the cable passage and resist removal of thecable. In the embodiment shown, the armor sheath abuts the inner face ofthe grommet 372 while allowing the electrical wires to pass through theopening in the grommet.

In the various the embodiments of the invention, the cable connector ofthe invention as shown is configured for receiving two parallelelectrical cables passing through a corresponding cable opening in theelectrical box and for feeding the electrical wires to the cavity of theelectrical box. Each of the cable connectors in the embodiment shownincludes two sets of cable retainers that are oriented to grip thecables independently of the other. The respective pairs of cableretainers are oriented with respect to the cable passage for grippingopposite sides of the cable for retaining the cable in the cableconnector.

While one embodiment has been chosen to illustrate the invention, itwill be understood that various changes and modifications can be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electrical box assembly comprising: anelectrical box having a rear wall and a side wall with a cable openinghaving a dimension for receiving an electrical cable and an internalcavity; and a cable connector fixed to said electrical box in saidinternal cavity, said cable connector being aligned with said cableopening in said side wall and having a cable passage, said cableconnector having a body with a first end for positioning adjacent to thecable opening on an inner face of the electrical box and a second endopposite the first end and spaced from said side wall; a front wall atsaid second end of said body and having an opening for receiving theelectrical cable, said opening having a dimension so that said frontwall abuts the metal sheath of a standard metal sheath cable with aplurality of conductors to allow the conductors of the cable to passthrough the opening and prevent the metal sheath from passing throughthe opening; a first cable retainer having a first end at the first endof the body and a second free end extending toward the front wall, saidfree end of said first cable retainer extending toward the front walland towards an axis of the cable passage for gripping a cable andcapturing the cable between the second free end and the rear wall of theelectrical box; and a second cable retainer having a first end at saidfirst end of said body and a second free end extending toward the frontwall, said free end of said second cable retainer extending toward saidfront wall and toward the axis of the cable passage.
 2. The electricalbox assembly of claim 1, wherein said cable connector further comprisesa first side wall on a first side of said cable passage, said first endof said first cable retainer extending from a first end of the firstside wall, and a second side wall opposite said first side wall on asecond side of said cable passage and having said second cable retainerwith a first end coupled to and extending from a first end of saidsecond side wall and a second free end extending toward said front walland toward the axis of the cable passage.
 3. The electrical box assemblyof claim 2, wherein said first cable retainer is integrally formed withsaid first side wall and said second cable retainer is integrally formedwith said second side wall.
 4. The electrical box assembly of claim 2,wherein said first cable retainer is coupled to said first side wall bya U-shaped portion to spring bias said first cable retainer inwardlytoward the cable passage, and said second cable retainer is coupled tosaid second side wall by a U-shaped portion to spring bias said secondcable retainer inwardly toward said cable passage.
 5. The electrical boxassembly of claim 1, wherein said body has a bottom wall extendingbetween said first end and second end, and where said first cableretainer and said second cable retainer are coupled to said bottom wall.6. The electrical box assembly of claim 1, further comprising a legpositioned between said first cable retainer and said second cableretainer, said leg having a first end coupled to said first end of saidbody and a second free end extending into said cable passage and beingconfigured to grip the electrical cable.
 7. The electrical box assemblyof claim 6, further comprising a rear wall at said first end of saidbody and oriented substantially parallel to said front wall and havingan opening therein aligned with said cable passage for receiving theelectrical cable, and where said leg is coupled to said rear wall andextends toward said front wall between said first cable retainer andsaid second cable retainer.
 8. The electrical box assembly of claim 7,wherein said first and second cable retainers are coupled to said rearwall of said cable connector.
 9. The electrical box assembly of claim 1,wherein said cable connector further comprises a top wall and extendingbetween said first end and said second end of said body; a leg coupledto said top wall at said first end and extending between said firstcable retainer and said second cable retainer toward said front wall andtoward the axis of the cable passage and being configured to engage atop surface of the cable.
 10. The electrical assembly of claim 9,wherein said first and second cable retainers are coupled to said topwall.
 11. An electrical cable connector for clamping at least oneelectrical cable extending through an opening in an electrical box, saidcable clamp comprising: a body having a cable passage and beingconfigured for coupling to a bottom wall of the electrical box andhaving a first end for positioning in the electrical box adjacent thecable opening and a second end opposite said first end, said body havinga first side wall with a first end and a second side wall with a firstend; a front wall at said second end of said body and having an aperturefor receiving the at least one electrical cable, said aperture having adimension so that said front wall abuts the metal sheath of a standardmetal sheath cable having a plurality of conductors to allow theconductors of the metal sheath cable to pass through said aperture andprevent the metal sheath from passing through the aperture; a firstcable retainer having a first end coupled to and extending from saidfirst end of said body and a second free end for gripping first side ofthe electrical cable, said first cable retainer being integrally formedwith said first end of said first side wall; and a second cable retainerhaving a first end coupled to and extending from said first end of saidbody and a second free end for gripping a second side of the electricalcable, and said second cable retainer being integrally formed with saidfirst end of said second side wall.
 12. The electrical cable connectorof claim 11, wherein said first cable retainer is coupled to said firstside wall by a spring U-shaped portion, and where said first cableretainer has a first leg portion extending from said first and towardsaid cable passage and a second leg portion extending from said firstleg toward said cable passage; said second cable retainer is coupled tosaid second side wall by a spring U-shaped portion, and where saidsecond cable retainer has a first leg portion extending from said firstand toward said cable passage and a second leg portion coupled to andextending from said first leg portion toward said cable passage.
 13. Theelectrical cable connector of claim 12, further comprising a rear wallat said first end of said body and having an opening for receiving theelectrical cable; and a leg coupled to said rear wall and extendingtoward said front wall between said first cable retainer and said secondcable retainer and extending toward the axis of said cable passage. 14.The electrical cable connector of claim 11, wherein said body furthercomprises a rear wall at said first end of said body, said first cableretainer and second cable retainer being coupled to said rear wall; anda leg coupled to said rear wall and extending toward said front wallbetween said first cable retainer and said second cable retainer andextending toward the axis of said cable passage.
 15. The electricalcable connector of claim 11, wherein said body further comprises a topwall extending between said first end and said second end of said body;a rear wall at said first end of said body and where said first cableretainer and second cable retainer are coupled to said top wall; and aleg coupled to said top wall and positioned between said cable retainersand extending toward said front wall and toward the axis of said cablepassage.
 16. The electrical cable connector of claim 11, wherein saidbody further comprises a bottom wall extending between said first endand said second end, and where said cable retainers extend upwardly fromsaid bottom wall toward said front wall; a top wall extending betweensaid first end and said second end of said body; and a leg extendingfrom said top wall toward said front wall and toward the axis of saidcable passage, said leg being positioned between said first cableretainer and said second cable retainer.
 17. An electrical cableconnector for clamping at least one electrical cable extending throughan opening in an electrical box, said cable clamp comprising: a bodyhaving a cable passage and being configured for coupling to a bottomwall of the electrical box and having a first end for positioning in theelectrical box adjacent the cable opening and a second end opposite saidfirst end, said body having a first side wall with a first end and asecond side wall with a first end; a front wall at said second end ofsaid body and having an aperture for receiving the at least oneelectrical cable, said aperture having a dimension so that said frontwall abuts the metal sheath of a standard metal sheath cable having aplurality of conductors to allow the conductors of the metal sheathcable to pass through said aperture and prevent the metal sheath frompassing through the aperture; a first cable retainer having a first endcoupled to and extending from said first end of said body and a secondfree end for gripping first side of the electrical cable, said firstcable retainer being integrally formed with said first end of said firstside wall; a second cable retainer having a first end coupled to andextending from said first end of said body and a second free end forgripping a second side of the electrical cable, and said second cableretainer being integrally formed with said first end of said second sidewall; and a leg extending from said first end of said body between saidcable retainers, said first and second cable retainers and said legconverging toward each other and said cable passage.
 18. The electricalassembly of claim 17, wherein said cable connector has a rear wall atsaid first end of said body and having an aperture for receiving thecable, and where first cable retainer, second cable retainer and leg areintegrally formed with said rear wall.
 19. The electrical assembly ofclaim 17, wherein said cable connector has a first side wall, a secondside wall and a top wall extending between said side walls, and wherefirst cable retainer is integrally formed with said first side wall,second cable retainer is integrally formed with said second side wall,and said leg is integrally formed with said top wall.
 20. The electricalassembly of claim 17, wherein said cable connector has a rear wall atsaid first end of said body, a top wall, and a bottom wall extendingbetween said rear wall and said front wall, said rear wall having anaperture for receiving the cable, and where first cable retainer andsecond cable retainer are integrally formed with said bottom wall andsaid leg is integrally formed with said top wall.